College of FE proof that inclusive education works
WE RESPECT the position of the president of Education, Sport & Culture but we cannot agree with what we consider to be his outdated views on education, especially in regards to his position on selection at age 11. We would also like to challenge his repeated references to teachers' 'vested interests' made during the numerous interviews that he has given relating to the outcome of the teachers' surveys. We would argue that expertise in education, or in any other profession for that matter, does not mean that you are someone with a vested interest, it simply means that you have pursued a career studying and gaining knowledge and experience. It does not mean that you are right, but you are more likely to be right than someone who has not had that recent experience. We are the experts in our field.
Our expertise and educated opinions are based on many years of teaching within the FE sector and the majority from very recent teaching experiences at the College of FE. Our opinions are also supported by the most up to date educational research. When we hear that a reason why setting in high schools won't work as effectively as selective schooling is because teachers will not teach the lower sets with the same enthusiasm as the higher sets we are utterly bemused by the reasoning of our president, as this is in direct opposition to our training, our professionalism and our intrinsic belief that every young person deserves the very best education we can provide.
In respect of the 11-plus we would ask you not to fall for the old adage of 'if it's not broken don't fix it'. This is no more than a blanket phrase spoken by those who don't want change. If this were our human attitude we would still be living in caves. Our current education system can be, and should be, better. It is not a case of 'fixing', it is a case of making continuous improvements to the system.
The College of FE is an excellent example of where all-ability education is effective; where, in some cases, we have repaired the damage that started with the 11-plus which then resulted in poor GCSE results.
Let us give you just one recent example. Peter came to us four years ago with GCSE grades that were so poor you could nearly spell FUDGE with them. He started on our level one foundation programme and then took his level two in IT. He completed his level three IT in June this year and he is now studying for a degree at university. But this raises the question: Just how many Peters are out there who didn't take a second opportunity and enrol onto post-16 education programmes? Peter is just one of the many success stories where young people, who clearly have the potential to achieve, have found that our education system may have failed them, with the 11-plus cited as the point where the seeds of failure were first sown. We receive very clear feedback from our students and many of them can trace their lack of confidence and low expectations to 'failing' the 11-plus. As college lecturers we first need to nurture their confidence and self-belief.
So let's not cap the aspirations of our 10-year-olds by voting to bring back selection. Instead let's build a gold standard education for every individual child in the island. Let's produce our home-grown accountants, professional engineers and creative practitioners. We will reap the rewards of our investment in education by saving the costly expenditure of having to bring professionals over from the UK and elsewhere.
To those who believe that this is an unreal expectation, I would ask you to search your own conscience and perhaps see that your own low expectations are a result of the constant misinformation that you have been fed throughout your life.
Read the following typical statements that we hear from students both young and old; 'I just can't do maths', 'I'm just not an academic person', 'You are either an academic or vocational person', 'I'm not that good with written work but I'm good with my hands' (as if your hands work without any connection to the brain), 'IQ and standardised tests can measure your potential to be successful in life'.
We know that these statements are untrue and we, as experienced lecturers in FE, have proved this time and time again. We need to create an inclusive education system to unlock the potential and build the confidence and expectations of every single one of our school children. Every single one of our children and young people, and clearly this is not just our young people that have struggled with secondary education, this means all of our children and young people.
At the College of FE we work with those students who have excelled at their GCSEs and we have many students, including former Grammar School and private college students, from Year 11 and from sixth form, who opt to study on our level three programmes and then progress to top universities. The College of FE is proof of a successful inclusive, all-ability educational establishment, a place of learning, progression, achievement and excellence where everyone, of all abilities, strengths, backgrounds and purpose, is welcome to learn, to advance their education, fulfil their potential and gain the confidence to pursue their life ambitions. The College of FE is testimony that educational inclusivity works and that selective education is not only outdated, but also damaging to our children and the future of our island.
If you remain undecided about the validity of our professional views, we urge you – deputies, teachers, parents, grand-parents, employers and all other stake-holders in the community – to read the following book, published in May 2016. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – May 3, 2016 by Angela Duckworth.
For the audio book go to http://bit.ly/GRITaudiobook
For a hard copy of the book visit http://bit.ly/GRITbook
JOHN SEMENOWICZ,
on behalf of the WISE members working for inclusive secondary education.
